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United States Patent | 5,735,228 |
Huang | April 7, 1998 |
A barge linking system which includes a pair of flexible connector assembs stored on board a rear pontoon of a pair pontoons to be connected at sea. Each flexible connector assembly has a forward housing and a rear housing which are connected by a shear pin and rotate about the shear pin. Attached to the front end of the forward housing is flexible rubber sleeve which encases a substantial portion of a chain sling. The front end of the chain sling, which extends from the rubber sleeve, has a master link which allows the chain sling to be connected to a cable from a winch on board the forward pontoon. The rear housing of the flexible connector assembly has a chain shackle which allows the rear housing to be connected to a cable from a winch on board the rear pontoon. The forward housing has a pair of slots which align with a pair of slots in the forward pontoon, while the rear housing has a pair of slots which align with a pair of slots in the rear pontoon. A first guillotine collar is inserted into the aligned slots of the forward housing and first pontoon to secure the forward pontoon to the forward housing. A second guillotine collar is inserted into the aligned slots of the rear housing and rear pontoon to secure the forward pontoon to the forward housing of the connector assembly.
Inventors: | Huang; Tsongshih (Westlake Village, CA) |
Assignee: | The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy (Washington, DC) |
Appl. No.: | 816927 |
Filed: | March 13, 1997 |
Current U.S. Class: | 114/266; 114/249 |
Intern'l Class: | B63B 035/44 |
Field of Search: | 114/230,249,266,267,263,251,264 |
3799100 | Mar., 1974 | Marriner | 114/266. |
3983830 | Oct., 1976 | Morgan | 116/266. |
4321882 | Mar., 1982 | Sluys | 114/266. |
4335670 | Jun., 1982 | Skaalen et al. | 114/249. |